Silicon based semiconductor devices have been a standard of the integrated chip industry for the past three decades. However, in recent years semiconductor devices based on alternative semiconductor materials, which offer advantages over traditional silicon based devices, have started to become manufacturable. Gallium Nitride (GaN) semiconductor devices are one such type of device that has emerged as an attractive alternative to silicon based devices in many areas.
GaN semiconductor devices have already found widespread use in optoelectric applications (e.g., in light emitting diodes) due to the wide band gap of GaN. GaN semiconductor devices also offer a potential advantage for use in solar cells (e.g., where GaN semiconductor devices cover a wide range of solar photons) and in high power applications (e.g., where the high electron mobility and low temperature coefficients of GaN allow it to carry large currents and support high voltages).